As you will have read in another newsletter this year, Milford School is an IB PYP school. So what is the PYP and what does it mean for learning? The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children aged 3 - 12, nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.

The PYP offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding. It is a student-centered approach to education for children. It reflects the best of educational research, thought leadership and experience derived from IB World Schools. In the New Zealand context, PYP gives us a framework, and consistent vocabulary of learning to deliver the New Zealand Curriculum.

What are the components of the PYP?

In the image above you can see all of the elements of the PYP.

At the heart of all we do, are the students and the Learner Profile. There are ten attributes in the Learner Profile: we want our students to be Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective. Around the students are the Approaches to Learning, which align beautifully with the New Zealand Curriculum key competencies. These ATLs are Social Skills, Research Skills, Thinking Skills, Communication Skills and Self-Management Skills.

The third circle out shows the learning (subject) areas such as Science, PE, The Arts, Language (English), Maths etc. These learning areas are taught through the six transdisciplinary themes, which are global, timeless and meaningful to all human beings. Learning through the themes allows the students to 'step up' beyond and make connections between the confines of subject areas alone. Years 2 to 6 do all six themes every year through their Units of Inquiry, and Year0/1 must do four or more.

For more information about the PYP, keep reading in upcoming newsletters.